The present invention relates to an elastically deformable sealing device of a gap between the edge of a wall opening and the back wall of a vehicle docking at the wall opening. The sealing device has a flap-shaped deformable skirt with deformable vertical strips arranged on both sides of the wall opening and with an upper transverse portion in the area of the upper ends of the vertical strips arranged in front of those strips, whereby laterally outwardly positioned guide members engage the vertical strips that are connected with their rearward end at the building wall and extend in a slanted manner.
In these sealing devices the skirt must adapt to the shape or contour of the back wall of the vehicle docking at the building wall. Furthermore, the skirt must be elastically deformable in the direction toward the building when the skirt, upon load exerted by the vehicle, is displaced in the direction toward the building. For these reasons the guide members which are rigid or optionally shortenable in the longitudinal direction have springs which allow the displacement of the skirt only against the force of the springs.
However, these skirts supported by guide members have the disadvantage that laterally acting forces result in a premature wear of the skirt and the guide members.
Furthermore, it is known to connect the skirts to support bodies which are comprised of a plurality of pressure springs arranged above one another. These support bodies are able to give to lateral forces; however, the support body formed by the springs is relatively stiff so that a deformation of the sealing device in the direction toward the building requires considerable forces which may result in damage to the skirt.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to improve a sealing device of the aforementioned kind such that it is easily deformable in direction toward the building and at a slant to that direction and is accordingly easily adaptable to the back wall of a vehicle.